1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to carriers that are configured to be attached to motor vehicles, and more particularly, the invention is directed toward a multi-purpose carrier for securing and transporting items such as luggage and coolers on motor vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of foldable or collapsible bicycle carriers that are configured to be mounted on motor vehicles are available in the prior art. Examples of carriers mountable on automobiles are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,518,108 and 4,709,840.
In such collapsible carriers, bicycles are carried on a pair of carrying arms rotatably mounted on a frame structure. The carrier is conveniently mounted to the rear portion of the automobile, generally over the automobile's trunk or to a tailgate of a pickup truck. The carrier is secured in place by means of straps. The carrying arms are held in an extended or carrying position and the bicycles are positioned on the extended carrying arms. Advantageously, such carriers may be easily removed from the automobile and conveniently collapsed into a relatively compact configuration for storage. Although such carriers tend to operate efficiently with respect to bicycles, they tend to be ill-suited for carrying relatively bulky items, for example, luggage or coolers. Moreover, such carriers are generally not suited for use on automobiles having a spare tire mounted externally on the automobile's rear hatch or tailgate.
A need has thus arisen for a collapsible carrier that is capable of being conveniently fastened to an automobile for carrying relatively bulky items such as luggage or coolers.